Following the river, 1854
In the 19th century, the inland variation of going to sea appears to have been serving on a steamboat; and it seems to have attracted teenagers as readily as did serving on a sailing ship.
Such as the unnamed individual arrested in St. Louis for the crime of wearing trousers while appearing female. The individual “following the river” has the traditional tale: seduced and abandoned; rejected by parents; choice between prostitution and working disguised as a male; forced to support the disguise by smoking and drinking and generally swaggering around. But this former cabin boy is refreshingly open, cheerfully admitting to “playing the beau” and courting women, and declaring an unwillingness to give up life as a man. Here’s hoping that that life was a long and happy one.
“Another Female in Male Attire.” St. Louis Herald; reprinted in Daily National Era [Washington, DC] 17 May 1854; p. 3.
A very handsome and interesting looking young lady was arrested yesterday morning and taken to the calaboose for “wearing the breeches.” She informed us that she is now nineteen years of age, and that she has been running on the river, dressed in men’s apparel, for four years; that her native place is Madison, Indiana. She says that at the age of fifteen, being young and ignorant of the baseness and false-heartedness of mankind, a man (whose name she would not disclose, nor her own,) persuaded her to run off with him to Cincinnati, and get married. After a great deal of persuasion, she consented and went with him. When they arrived at Cin[c]innati, her base, deceiving companion refused to marry her, but made dishonorable proposals to her.
These she indignantly repelled, and spurned her false lover. He abandoned her, and she returned home. But her mother and step-father refused to believe that she was innocent of crime, and her step-father kicked her out of his house into the street. She knew not what to do; without friends or money, or a knowledge of any trade suitable for a female to follow for a livelihood, she had almost resolved upon self-destruction. Finally, in reasoning with herself, she concluded that something must be done—she had either to dress herself in male attire, and seek employment, or else throw herself away in a den of prostitution. She determined on the former course, procured a suit of clothing, and sought and obtained employment on a boat as a cabin-boy. Since that time, four years ago, she has followed the river, as cabin-boy, cook, steward, and clerk, and was never detected before yesterday morning.
After adopting the apparel of a man, in order to more completely disguise herself, she had to adopt the habits of the men, and soon became an expert in all the accomplishments of a gentleman, such as smoking cigars, chewing tobacco, drinking cock-tails, swearing, and gallanting the girls. She says that in some places she has played the beau to perfection, and courted the girls. We don’t doubt it, as her good looks, the ladies supposing her to be a young man, are well calculated to captivate the unsuspecting belles. She declared that she had adopted the male attire, and that she never would abandon it; that she might be forced to put on female clothing, but that she would tear it off; and that in the capacity of a boy she would work for an honest livelihood. The police officer, very justly we think, too, told her if she remained in St. Louis she must change her apparel, and, upon her promising to leave the city, let her go.—St. Louis Herald of the 16th.
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